Page 5 of Saving Nevin
She tutted under her breath. “You got lucky, pup. Whoever did this to you, I hope they get what’s coming to them.” She ran a hand down my back, stroking down my fur before rising back to her feet. Moments later, she whisked one of those plastic airline carriers onto the floor in front of me.
I blinked at her, suddenly uneasy.
She patted the top and squeezed the latch, opening the grate wide enough that I could go in. “C’mon, sweet thing, load ‘em up. It’ll only be for a little while,” she promised me, a conspiratorial smile on her face. “I know my son. You’ll be pampered like a prince, if Kace has anything to say about it.”
Kace.She was taking me to Kace.
That’s all I needed to hear. I crawled into the carrier and tucked myself away in the very back. The gate clicked shut behind me. The world spun as she carried me outside, to a mud-speckled SUV sitting in the lot. She put me in the back and a moment later, the vehicle took off. I whined and buried my face into the fleecy blankets I was laying on.
To make my situation evenmoremortifying, I began to heave. I puked up everything that was left in my stomach, until the plastic tray was swimming with bile and bits of undigested food. The sour smell made my mouth water with nausea. I crawled to the very back of the crate and squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to stop my head from spinning in circles.
I wanted to cry with relief when the car finally stopped rocking. The back hatch lifted and the Alpha clucked her tongue. “Poor thing. You’re a mess, aren’t you? Easy does it.” She lifted my crate and set it down on the cement patio, and I’d never been happier to be on solid ground than I was right now. “Delivery!”
“Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.” My ears perked at the sound of Kace’s voice.
“Ha! I know, I know. I’ve made up a little care package for you. Everything you’ll need to take care of our ward, including some prescription painkillers. Try to get him to eat something, would you? Something mild, perhaps some chicken breast and rice with broth. He got sick on the drive over, the poor darling.”
“Don’t worry, I got this,” he assured her. “Thanks again.”
“If you need anything, I’m only a text away!”
Then the world was swaying again.
My Alpha carried me into his house through a sliding glass door, and set my crate down inside his bedroom. It was a large space with paneled walls and scuffed red carpet. There was a big, unmade bed pushed up against the wall and beside it, a pile of pillows and blankets on the floor.
It smelled of him.
“It isn’t much, but it’s mine—and now it’s your home, too, for however long you need it to be,” Kace promised as he unlatched the door. I wasted no time. The moment it swung open, I stumbled out of the cage and sank down onto the soft bedding. I glanced up to see a broad smile cross my rescuer’s face. “Rest, honey. I’m gonna go make something for you to eat, okay?”
That I could do.
I was only vaguely aware that he’d brought me a big bowl of water. I dozed out to the sound of pots and pans clattering in the kitchen, and awoke to the smell of food. My stomach gurgled, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to risk eating when I felt so nauseous.
At least until I saw what Kace had fixed for me.
He brought in a small ceramic bowl of brown rice and shredded, lightly-seasoned chicken breast. He set the dish down, then plopped down onto the bedding beside me, his long legs folding into an almost comical Indian-style. His top teeth sank down on his lower lip, drawing it inside his mouth. My attention fixed on him and he smiled.
“Sorry about the pet-treatment, but I wanna make sure you heal right, so you’ll have to stay in this form for a little while. Hope that’s okay.” He stroked two fingers through the fur behind my ear. Unable to help myself, I leaned into the kind touch. He nudged the bowl a little closer. “Eat, honey. Mom said not to give you these pain pills on an empty stomach.”
I took a couple of bites to appease the rumbling in my gut, but mostly to appease the Alpha who was watching me intently, like there was nowhere else he’d rather be than right here with me.
Withme.
My stomach fluttered, filled with butterflies. I nuzzled my nose against his leg. Kace hummed and pet my fur, caressing my ears. I dropped my head to his lap and let his touch distract me from the ache in my bones.
“Here. This’ll help.” He rattled the small blue pill bottle, then poured out two into his hand. He squished both of them into a cube of cheese and offered it to me. I ate it out of his palm, my tail thumping tiredly against the blankets. He only smiled. “Try to get some rest. If you need me, whine. I’ll keep an ear open.”
His eyes softened. “Don’t worry. You’ll be better before you know it.”
6
KACE
The loner was responsive,but hesitant. He didn’t exactly flinch away, but it was blatantly obvious that he was wary of the hand that fed. It made me wonder just what sort of hell he’d been through in his life. Such a shame. People could be so damn cruel, and for what?
My wounded ward slept most of the day, not that I blamed him. He’d been grievously injured. His body now had to work overtime to knit those wounds back together, and sleep was healing. Sleep, painkillers and good food—that was the holy trinity of recuperation, in my opinion.
As evening settled over the woods that surrounded my little cottage, which had been sort of a DIY-project these past couple of years, I started dinner. I threw together a stir fry with the leftover chicken I’d made the Omega this morning. Toss in a package of frozen veggies, a can of water chestnuts and some oriental spices and soy sauce, and I had myself something yummy.
